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Society for Ethical Reform through Aid, Protection, and Humanitarianism
The Society for Ethical Reform through Aid, Protection, and Humanitarianism (SERAPH) is a progressive charitable foundation that formed on Cabina in 3200, in the wake of the Sector Trade Organization's defeat and the dissolution of the Church of Humanity, Repentant. It is composed of numerous charitable and corporate entities with a sectorwide presence, with additional stakeholding backing of the Cabinan government. In pursuit of its mission to “restore the broken economy, the broken society, and the broken soul of our Empire,” SERAPH places an emphasis on empowering the disenfranchised and protecting the downtrodden. The Society pursues this goal through primarily charitable means and initiatives, but has governmental backing and a strong corporate element (focused on fair trade and labor and reinvestment of proceeds in charitable causes). Individuals from many backgrounds are associated with SERAPH, from the religiously inspired, to bureaucrats, to researchers and professors, to caffeine-lovers, to activists and revolutionaries. Overtly and officially, it is secular and incrementalist in its work toward change of existing systems, and most of its efforts are directed toward the support of aliens and serfs. It is an open secret, however, that the organization is heavily staffed by Repentant individuals and receives much of its sponsorship and donations from members of mainline Repentant sects. Unprovably and covertly, it is suspected that the organization's members also often aid synthetics, are involved in various refugee smuggling efforts, and that the organization has ties to the more radical Repentant Underground. History Founding Main article: 'SERAPH Founding Timeline' (includes extensive collection of accompanying news articles) The collapse of The Church of Humanity, Repentant (CHR) in the winter of 3200 left a gaping power vacuum on Cabina. Multiple entities competed for social and political prominence during this time, seeking to acquire the skills of individuals formerly employed by the CHR bureaucracy, the support of the noble families of Cabina, the support of now-independent Repentant sects, and control of the assets and land formerly owned or overseen by the CHR. Among the most prominent entities in this struggle were the Office of the Governor of Cabina, Cabina Cups Tea Company, Ankhayat Coffee Company, the Gran Panacea Charitable Foundation, the Maajid Memorial Foundation for the Education of Humanity, and AIDSERFS. Out of the eventual compromises and agreements signed among these competing entities arose SERAPH. The founding members of SERAPH then worked to gather additional charities and corporations under their banner, and to acquire sponsorship and funding from additional sources. The majority of their success in their search for sponsors came from their outreach to Repentant sects. Symposium One of SERAPH's first actions was to affirm its membership in The Symposium For The Advancement Of Non-Human Rights.(PDF, Twitter link) Cabina Inquiries The Cabina Inquiries was a House Crux investigation of treasonous elements on the planet of Cabina, executed in the wake of the Conflict of 3200 and its aftermath. A small task force led by the HCS The Deceitful Have No Friends translated into the Benilli system unannounced with orders to speedily ascertain the amount and strength of treasonous elements, in particular within the local Crux command, and if possible immediately initiate an investigation and purge of any such elements. When the task force arrived in orbit, it was found that the former STO-member, the so-called Church of Humanity, Repentant (CHR), had completely collapsed and been replaced by a newly founded charitable conglomerate SERAPH. SERAPH was eminently interested in showing itself to be a new and separate entity from the maligned CHR, as well as establishing and restoring proper relationships and integration between Cabina and the noble houses and government of the Empire. As a result, the task force was able to conduct its investigation, and while certain seditious elements attempted to resist, the Crux investigators were able to purge local Crux command of disloyal members and secure important evidence regarding treasonous individuals still at large. Though not perfectly pleased with the extent of SERAPH cooperation, the investigation concluded that the new organization had been sufficiently cleared of further association with any of the treasonous elements of the former Repentant Church so as to not warrant any immediate follow-up investigations. In the words of the new Oberster Richter of Cabina, Horvath Fynn, SERAPH had been “eminently helpful, and quick to stay out of the way of our crucial investigation.” RAPTURE Initiative Kept largely secretive during SERAPH's first months of existence, the RAPTURE Initiative (Restoration of Abandoned Peoples Trapped Under Recurring Extinction) is an operation involving largescale exports of personnel and supplies to Hallger, to aid in education, infrastructure development, and reintegration of the planet into the Empire. Due to the Anhkhayat Coffee Company's stake and control in the ships used to transfer the personnel and supplies, coffee export and cultivation became a larger part of RAPTURE's goals. Operation Golden Door Shortly before the “Huddled Masses” speech, operatives of House Eridanus under pretenses of economic revitalization and continued cooperation acquired new zoning and planning permission for the Hearth Valley from the Yakiyahn Mandate Planetary Parliament. Piggybacking off of the successful efforts in Sector 4 of Tañez and the development of The Yakiyan Central Bank, House Eridanus snuck-in exhaustive fine print into the authorization documents, thereby establishing de facto sovereign Eridanii territory in the valley. Construction began on the city of Ronaseen shortly thereafter. During the economic restrictions imposed by Eridanus, the construction project served as a release valve for the population. Although heavily monitored and regulated, the valley was a place of protection and relief from the planet-wide sanctions. A considerable portion of these protections was facilitated by charities connected to SERAPH. SERAPH now owns or has a stake in many of the properties and businesses in Ronaseen, due to close involvement in its construction. While much of this investment is quiet, the presence of agricultural sectors in the city dedicated to tea and coffee is one of the more visible and distinctive signs of increased SERAPH presence. SERAPH set up humanitarian aid, not only in Ronaseen, but all over Yakiyah. Whether openly labelled as SERAPH, or under more quiet partnerships/contracts, its soup kitchens, charity/vocational schools, medical clinics, and legal aid offices assist Yakiyans in transitioning to the new order. SERAPH is also a large investor in other new infrastructure on Yakiyah, and it currently earns a substantial return on these investments (which it claims it reinvests into its various charitable initiatives). Fealty TBD Organization Constitutive (Stakeholding) Entities The 3 pairs of wings on the logo thematically represent the Charitable, Corporate, and Government organizations that aligned under the banner of SERAPH and maintain a stakeholding share in the Society. Each organization uses the SERAPH umbrella as well as their own identity as is most convenient for their goals. Uniting under the SERAPH umbrella allows entities which by themselves would not be big or significant to have notable sway in the sector, such as tea companies or local charities, to act jointly or have their own actions enforced by greater social/political backing. Charitable Entities These are SERAPH's charitable initiatives and foundations, many originally founded with the involvement and sponsorship of particular Repentant sects. Prominent amongst the founding charitable members and stakeholders of SERAPH are the following: * Gran Panacea Charitable Foundation (GPCF): medical care and training to those unable to afford or otherwise ineligible for Serpens care. * Maajid Memorial Foundation for the Education of Humanity (MMFEH): educational training and opportunities to those otherwise unable to afford or qualify for it; research into Xenology and similar topics often neglected in mainstream imperial academia; outreach to and education on aliens and peaceful coexistence. * Association for the Improvement and Development of Serfdom towards the Economic Revival of the Full Sector (AIDSERFS): improving the economy, as well as the lives and wellbeing of serfs and freemen; special interest in planetary restoration projects, strong legal department. Additional charitable entities which soon joined included the Phoenix Foundation, the Crucible of Hope, Resplendent, the Crab Corps, and the Red Lotus Society. Corporate Entities SERAPH's corporate entities include some which were originally founded and run by the CHR, and others which arose to take control of CHR assets following its dissolution. Prominent amongst the founding corporate members and stakeholders of SERAPH are the following: * Cabina Cups Tea Company: a core mission of tea, but with many branches dealing with shipping, production, and any corporate activity the company can gain control of. * Ankhayat Coffee Company: a purely coffee-focused company, but a rival of Cabina Cups and its monopolistic ambitions. As distinct from other corporates in the sector, the SERAPH corporations emphasize fair trade and labor, with profits reinvested in charitable activities, research and development, infrastructure, and planetary restoration. They are the ‘feel good’ brands that those in the sector consume ‘ethically.’ Government Entities These currently consist of elements of the governments of Cabina and Hallger. They are highly autonomous stakeholders that serve to support SERAPH and its entities in issues of imperial government and give it legitimacy. They include prominent noble families that own land and have workers volunteering both their time and staff to support SERAPH. Other involved individuals and entities include the Governor of Cabina, their staff, and the Cabinan colonial planetary restoration charter. Board and Secretariat The SERAPH's Foundation Board is made up of representatives of all the various entities who as founders and/or stakeholders own SERAPH the foundation. In order to coordinate between the different entities, primarily either to negotiate with other factions or to arbitrate internal disputes, there is a small institution known as the SERAPH Secretariat, headed by the Secretary-General. The Secretary-General is appointed by the SERAPH board, and works to coordinate the efforts of the various charities, corporates, and government initiatives whose representatives make up the board, and tries to prevent internal competition from getting out of hand (often a difficult task, especially in case of the more competitive corporate entities). Subsidiary Entities The SERAPH Secretariat is also in charge of running these three small divisions of SERAPH. These divisions answer to the board and thus are run by SERAPH, whereas in the case of stakeholding entities it is the other way around. * Administrative Office - Legal and administrative efforts to maintain the SERAPH brand and its cooperative spirit. * Press Office - Propaganda, political movements, and joint SERAPH advocacy efforts to the noble houses, corporations, and the empire. * Management Office - Responsible for managing joint subsidiaries, which are miscellaneous efforts that are not tied to a specific stakeholding charitable, corporate, or governmental entity but are instead run by SERAPH as a whole. Sponsoring Organizations These are organizations and people that are not technically a part of SERAPH proper, but are overt or covert donors to SERAPH or its stakeholding/subsidiary entities. They represent the general financial and social support in the sector for SERAPH's goals as a charity and faction. Most Repentant sects in good standing are sponsoring entities of SERAPH, as are organizations such as the Omega Collective for Goodwill and The Friends of Yakiyah. Culture Clothing and Dress In their day to day lives and work, most SERAPH members dress as is most fitting to their house or organization or occupation. If wishing to signify their association with the larger organization, they might wear a small SERAPH pin. In more formal or official setting, where some need is felt to present the organization as a more unified whole, there are slightly more specific guidelines. In these settings, members usually wear dresses and suits in blacks or greys or whites (insofar as permitted by the guidelines of their own houses), but with colored and rainbow-colored scarves, pins, sashes, hats, cloaks and accents, reflecting both their individual backgrounds and the insignia of SERAPH. Amongst their assemblage of pins or embroidery, some members may subtly include designs reminiscent of elements of [[Repentant|'Repentant']] symbology. Reformist Impulse SERAPH is fundamentally a reformist organization. Virtually all its members and leadership would like to see a sector where those not at the top of the current imperial hierarchy have more rights and better lives. The exact group considered most in need of help varies dependent on which member or constitutive entity asked, and ranges from ostracized nobles, to freemen, to serfs, to aliens, and even to synthetics, the excommunicated, and so on. In the case of some of these latter groups, especially illegal synthetics, the legal and political circumstances of the sector force SERAPH to restrain and at times even publicly disavow these sympathies and any member who acts on them. SERAPH is careful to present itself as a loyal, legal, imperial charity and all its public charitable activities are aimed at proper and legal causes. As the majority of SERAPH members sincerely believe in these causes, this is not a front, but a practical decision to focus on what can be helped rather than what cannot. Nevertheless, the existence of more non-conformist sentiments has quickly given rise to a considerable covert side to the activities of SERAPH members. At times, this merely involves turning a blind eye to situations technically illegal, but considered proper according to personal ethics, or to not ask questions when a more conformist citizen really should be getting suspicious, or to simply 'forget' to log events or passengers that would prefer to go unnoticed. At other times, this involves participation in more large scale clandestine operations such as Vigil's Railroad. In all such cases, SERAPH itself maintains at least one degree of separation, preferably more, from such covert activities, keenly aware of the fate that awaits organizations that do not keep such distance in the eyes of the empire and its laws, as born out by the ghastly ends of the UPC and the CHR. Repentant Influence With the collapse of the Church of Humanity, Repentant, and without a church superstructure, The Repentant Faith returned to being a more disorganized and decentralized movement of sects and individuals, in vague philosophical alignment around the ideals of Repentance expressed in the Three Tenets. These sects, however, often still elected to connect and coordinate with one another on various charitable initiatives that aligned with their values. SERAPH in particular garnered the support of most mainstream Repentant sects, due to the involvement of several Repentant sects in its founding charities, and SERAPH's mission being in alignment with certain Repentant values. Both as individuals and as communities, Repentant sects are often sponsors and donors of SERAPH and its initiatives, providing much of its funding and most of its social clout and public support. In many ways it is the presence of billions of Repentant Faithful across the sector that gives a reformist charitable umbrella like SERAPH the social and economic basis of its widespread influence. In addition, much of SERAPH’s staff considers themselves Repentant and motivated by Repentant ethics. For those interacting with SERAPH, this knowledge exits largely in the range of a politely ignorable "open secret." Publicly SERAPH’s goals are secular and conformist; the organization has the ability to disavow and distance itself from the Repentant faith as much as needed, and whenever needed, to operate under High Church hegemony. Officially anyone, even High Church faithful, can join the charity. More covertly, many Repentant individuals running SERAPH and its constituent entities work to ensure these operations stay aligned with Repentant ethics and goals. This is most commonly done by only promoting people to positions of influence in the organization if they regularly attend the ‘special’ after-work meetings. I.e. either overt or covert Repentant meetings. SERAPH also has a large underground Repentant following, and it is often an access-point to synth-smuggling networks and used as a cover by or gateway to more radical Repentant movements. Many leaders of sects may use the excuse of charity collaboration to coordinate other less licit activities and projects of their members and sects. These operations may range more peaceful pro-alien/serf/synth non-conformism, to continued activities by violent religious revolutionaries. SERAPH may still have ways of mobilizing the Repentant faithful, but in general, the role of the Repentant is that they support and donate to SERAPH, rather than having any kind of subordination to SERAPH. Caffeine The two largest stakeholding corporations in SERAPH are Cabina Cups Tea Company and Ankhayat Coffee Company, and their products show up in most SERAPH offices and in the hands of most SERAPH-affiliated entities. Tea gardens and coffee plantations are central to Cabinan planetary restoration efforts and expertise, and serve as the planet's main export crops to the rest of the sector. All of this, combined with often very public and brutal competition between the two companies, has resulted in a prevalence in SERAPH of debates, diplomacy, cultural interest, and expertise related to tea and coffee. The side one takes (or does not) in the ongoing debate of tea vs. coffee can be very serious business indeed. Sectorwide Initiatives Outreach Centers SERAPH's primary sectorwide presence, in additional to the arms of its charitable and corporate entities, can be found in the Welcome and Outreach Centers it overtook from the CHR and renovated. Though relatively small and unassuming (normally only one or two stories), they are quite numerous, as the CHR's policy with such centers was "plant as many of them as we can anywhere." SERAPH works with local communities to determine which entities and activities best suit local concerns. Many centers will have a small press office in a back room to address diplomatic and legal inquiries, and in most centers, the former chapels have been converted into tea shops and/or coffee bars, as part of a contentious compromise reached among SERAPH's founding stakeholders. Vigil's Railroad "The Vigil's Railroad" is a colloquial term for the systematic movement of persecuted synthetics, humans, and aliens for the purpose of resettling them with new identities elsewhere in the Empire. It takes its name from the fact that it historically had as its backbone the Vigil Pilgrimages of Repentant sects, sponsored by The Church of Humanity, Repentant. It is comprised mostly of ideologically driven volunteers from all walks of life, and criminals known for their utmost discretion (for the right price of course). Through various backchannels, questionable bookkeeping, and deniable efforts done in absolute secrecy, many of SERAPH's charities and corporations are, in one way or another, involved in facilitating and expanding this effort. The Vigil Railroad's most prominent organizers move people off the radar and then smuggle them off world, to safer locations in the sector, through organized Repentant pilgrimages, as "cargo" aboard merchant or charity vessels, or as temporary hires for SERAPH's charities or corporations. The refugees are also often provided black market fake id, improvised surgery to avoid facial recognition, and temporary shelter at cost paid either by the volunteers themselves, Repentant sects, or SERAPH via various obfuscating roundabouts. Charity Schools SERAPH charity schools give basic education and vocational training to those who other cannot access and afford it. These form part of the "safety-net-plugging" services that SERAPH provides to various planets in the sector. Usually established in partnership with AIDSERFS and the Maajid Memorial Foundation for the Education of Humanity, they are primarily funded via revenue from one of the corporate wings of SERAPH, Cabina Cups Tea Company. Cabina Cups Charity Cat Cafés boost the "feel good" nature of the corporate brand through such advertising and guarantees as “10% of income goes to charity schools for the education of the disenfranchised!" Places of Influence The vast majority of SERAPH's members are spread across the sector, working in its Outreach Centers or directly for the various conglomerated charities and corporations of the organization. However, there are several locations where the organization has a particularly distinct presence. Cabina SERAPH's homeworld, and the base of its sectorwide operations. The main offices of most of its entities can be found in the capital city of Lux Gravare. Hallger In early 3201, SERAPH began largescale exports of personnel and supplies to Hallger, to aid in education, infrastructure development, and reintegration of the planet into the Empire. Due to the Anhkhayat Coffee Company's stake and control in the ships used, the company took the opportunity to make coffee export and cultivation a larger part of the operation's goals. Much of SERAPH's work on the planet is currently done via close advisement and largescale partnerships with the current governments of Hallger's thousands of independent communities. Pylopid SERAPH took over the former CHR Legal Embassy in Pylopid's deeps and immediately began a major renovation and expansion of the offices. The primary entities utilizing the buildings are currently the Maajid Memorial Foundation for the Education of Humanity and AIDSERFS. The MMFEH established a branch office and research stations devoted to studying the alien flora and fauna of the planet, with intent to attract researchers from across the sector. More eccentric individuals still attempt to contact the rumored Taimder aliens, while others continue outreach to any scattered and more verifiable forms of alien life who have made the planet their home. Over a year of efforts by legal experts has resulted in two clans in the Deep agreeing to significant protections for aliens, and the establishment of several remote "sanctuary zones" in the Deep for various refugee aliens. AIDSERFS concerns itself, at present, with coordinating deals with fractious local clans and clanless communities for export of Pylopid's native and abundant food to the rest of the sector. It also takes an interest in both legal protections and access to intellectual property for the clanless and their exile communities. Yakiyah Following the dissolution of the CHR and the collapse of the UPC, groups including the Devoted Workers Party, the Clockworkers' Faith, the Devotees of the Good Work, The Helping Hands, and The Friends of Yakiyah jointly sponsored an AIDSERFS presence on the planet. AIDSERFS closely evaluated the situation to determine which initiatives and interventions would prove most beneficial to the citizens of Yakiyah, and its first major involvements on the planet was to take part in Operation Golden Door (the planetary relief efforts following Eridanus's strangling of the planet's economy) and the construction of Ronaseen and its economic relief zone. It then actively assisted Yakiyans in gaining access to the economic relief zone. SERAPH now owns or has a stake in many of the properties and businesses in Ronaseen, due to close involvement in its construction. While much of this investment is quiet, the presence of agricultural sectors in the city dedicated to tea and coffee is one of the more visible and distinctive signs of increased SERAPH presence. SERAPH ultimately set up humanitarian aid, not only in Ronaseen, but all over Yakiyah. Whether openly labelled as SERAPH, or under more quiet partnerships/contracts, its soup kitchens, charity/vocational schools, medical clinics, and legal aid offices assist Yakiyans in transitioning to the new order. SERAPH is also a large investor in other new infrastructure on Yakiyah, and it currently earns a substantial return on these investments (which it claims it reinvests into its various charitable initiatives). Faction Turn Faction Turn Timeline Note on Asset Lore SERAPH assets on the faction turn board can, as with all assets, represent a number of things. Due to SERAPH’s umbrellaed nature, we envision faction assets as often being able to represent particular stakeholding entities (a tea company, a medical charity, etc) or their major projects. This is in addition to the assets being able to represent any broader projects of the faction as a whole (such as general "SERAPH" joint subsidiary projects run by the SERAPH Secretariat management office). Either way, any actions taken by assets on the facturn are considered to have been "signed off on" by SERAPH's board as a whole. Creating a SERAPH Character ''For information on creating a character associated with SERAPH, please see the page: Create a SERAPH Character. '' ''For more information on creating a Repentant character in general, SERAPH affiliated or otherwise, please see the page: Create a Repentant Character. '' RollPlay Show Original Characters Below is a list of named characters who are original creations made for the Far Verona Rollplay show, either as PC's or NPC's, and are known members of SERAPH. As of yet, this list is empty. Patreon Player Original Characters Below is a list of named characters who are original creations made by the Patreon players participating in the Far Verona Faction Turn and Discord server, and are known members of SERAPH. Non-Player Characters These characters were explicitly made to serve as NPC's, representing SERAPH or its place in the setting. Anyone writing SERAPH lore or playing a role-playing game set in the Far Verona setting should feel encouraged to reference these characters or have them cameo. * Seeker Pyxis Afolabi Branson * Grand Chemex Triangulum Arabica Kaldi * Quantess Eridanus Ankhayat Kirsten * Ms. Minty Repentance * Count Eridanus Ankhayat Emil * Esha Surya-Qusay * Josef Underwood Player Characters These characters were made by Patreon players as their personal PC's. * Abimelech Wray * Adria Madalancha * Archibald Foxe * Professor Casslyn Mac Ruaidhrí * S.P.A.C.E. Jeremiah Salt External and Social Media Links * Cabina Communications Array (aka Twitter) - If SERAPH or its constituent entities are posting things, it will be through this account, broadcasting from SERAPH's homeworld of Cabina. Be forewarned that the Cabina Communications Array is also routinely seized or hacked by other groups. Category:SERAPH Category:Factions Category:Organizations